The Family Hub Refrigerator is on display during a Samsung news conference at CES Press Day at CES International, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

LAS VEGAS (AP) – The CES gadget show has begun catering more heavily to startups hoping to break through the noise. The sprawling show has sections for wearable fitness gadgets, drones, autonomous vehicles, education, virtual reality, video games, robots, 3-D printers and smart homes.

The startups will help fill a gap left by many of technology’s biggest names, who have been no-shows for some time. That roster includes Apple Inc., which has skipped the show since the 1990s, Microsoft Corp., which abandoned its keynote slot after 2012, Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.

The Consumer Technology Association that runs CES is aiming for attendance this year at or below last year’s record 176,000.

Shawn DuBravac, the CTA’s chief economist, argues the show’s maturity is a good thing because its focus has shifted over two decades from the “technologically possible” to the “technologically meaningful.” In other words, it’s no longer about a robot that can walk up steps. It’s about robots that actually mow your lawn.

CES is first and foremost a venue for promoting the tech industry, and sometimes the hype falls flat. 3-D screen technology unveiled at CES in 2010 went from the next big thing to a mostly unused feature. Netbooks introduced in 2009 took a back seat to the iPad released a year later. And concepts such as the smart home have taken a really long time to materialize.

– Ryan Nakashima, AP Technology Writer, Las Vegas

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Playing nice with the competition? It’s not unheard of at CES. Samsung has unveiled several new products that get along with those from other technology firms.

Samsung says its Gear S2 smartwatch will be compatible with Apple’s iPhones later this year. Watches using Google’s Android Wear already are, though with limited functionality.

Samsung also unveiled a 12-inch tablet that attaches to a keyboard. The Galaxy Tab Pro S is aimed at business users and runs Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system, unlike the Android system used in consumer tablets. Samsung says it will be the thinnest and lightest tablet-PC combination on the market.

In addition, Samsung’s top-end 2016 SUHD TVs will come with a free USB dongle to serve as a smart-home hub and let users to control up to 200 devices from manufacturers from Nest to Philips via their TV. One remote control will also operate boxes from the Xbox One to a Time Warner Cable set-top box to Apple TV.

Add to that its Family Hub refrigerator to allow ordering of groceries through its 21.5 inch touch screen. It’s clear Samsung is positioning itself to be the center of a fragmented technology landscape. Though the fridge is made in partnership with MasterCard, you can pay with other credit and debit cards like Visa.

-Ryan Nakashima, AP Business Writer, Las Vegas

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People will be able to order groceries directly from a new Samsung refrigerator.

The Family Hub refrigerator will let users order groceries via an app on the refrigerator’s screen. The app’s made in partnership with MasterCard, though you can use any debit or credit card to pay.

The service initially works with two grocery stores in the New York area: Fresh Direct and ShopRite. Users can choose when they want the groceries delivered. The fee is the same as it would be ordering from a computer – typically a few dollars, plus tip. It will be available in the U.S. starting in May.

Besides ordering groceries, the 21.5-inch screen on the fridge will let families display photos, calendars and notes for each other. And from a smartphone, you can check what’s inside, as captured by three cameras. You can tell at the supermarket whether you really need more eggs. LG earlier announced a similar peek-inside feature in its fridges.

Samsung’s smart refrigerator is among the many Internet-connected items being unveiled this week at the CES gadget show in Las Vegas.

– Mae Anderson, AP Technology Writer, New York

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Want a craft brewery on your countertop and don’t mind waiting a week for the hoppy elixir?

PicoBrew hopes to become the Keurig of brewing.

At the CES gadget show in Las Vegas this week, the company showed off its $699 appliance that uses pre-mixed recipes costing $20 to $60, including some from brewers Rogue and Dogfish Head.

It’s not for the home brewers interested in making their own creations, though the company says customers can turn the dial to make the brew more or less bitter or hoppy. And it doesn’t involve a basement’s worth of space dedicated to the process.

The company is shipping its first devices in April to its Kickstarter supporters who have contributed a combined $1.4 million to the project.

– Kimberly Pierceall, AP writer, Las Vegas

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With more home thermostats, lights, locks and appliances linking to the Internet, automakers are working on plans to let you control them from your car.

BMW and Ford both announced they’re working on in-car apps that let drivers control smart home devices.

BMW says it’s working on apps that allow drivers to “precondition” their homes by setting the thermostat for the right temperature by the time they arrive home. The company also showed an i3 electric car linked to a home device that monitors routines, sets routes and starts car functions.

Ford announced that it’s working with Amazon to link cars to its Alexa personal assistant. Later this year, the company will offer a service with voice commands that can start a car from a home or turn off an alarm system and open the garage door as a driver gets close to home.

-Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer, Las Vegas

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Hands full of groceries? LG has a refrigerator that opens automatically when a person steps on the projection of an image on the floor.

Its LG Signature fridge also lets you peek inside without opening the door, saving electricity and maybe keeping you from making a poor decision regarding a late-night snack. One side of its double doors has an opaque glass window. Knocking on the window lights up the inside slightly, enough to glance at your leftovers.

And of course, it comes equipped with Wi-Fi enabled sensors so you can track the temperature inside and monitor energy use.

-Ryan Nakashima, AP Business Writer, Las Vegas

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Old Mother Hubbard might have known to go to the store to get her dog a bone if she had a sensor from the company Smarter.

At the CES gadget show in Las Vegas this week, Smarter is debuting a mat and a camera that can remotely tell a person what’s left in one’s fridge.

Barnaby Sellers with Smarter says the devices will speed up a person’s daily routines and make a kitchen smarter without needing to buy a new fridge.

The company is also introducing a sound and atmosphere sensor that Sellers says will learn the sounds and environment in a kitchen to alert someone via their smartphone when the dishes might be done or when it might be warm to enough to warrant opening up a window.

Each is expected to be sold for $130 to $150 by this summer.

At last year’s show, Smarter showed off a remote-controlled coffee machine and kettle.

– Kimberly Pierceall, AP writer, Las Vegas

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Don’t forget to recharge your coffee mug.

Some people slurp their coffee while it’s piping hot, others warm their hands with it till it cools to a drinkable temperature. A smart mug called Ember aims to keep it at the perfect temperature for two hours using a rechargeable battery.

A touch sensitive logo indicates the temperature at which your java is resting, while turning the ring at the bottom lets you adjust that up or down. Apparently, most people enjoy their cup of joe at about 135 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. A pop-up lid means you can drink from any direction without searching for the opening.

Pre-orders for the Ember cost $129 and delivery is expected in May.

– Ryan Nakashima, AP Business Writer, Las Vegas

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